The Colonel Vs The Angel of Death
by pastorannie
Summary: An old enemy, missing since the Costa Graves Embassy incident, returns to enact vengence not just on Col. John Casey but on his closest ally. Contining series in the Colonel Vs. the Parson slightly alternate universe.
1. Chapter 1

The Colonel vs. The Angel of Death

The indescribable pressure in the center of his chest reminded him of the pain he experienced when the Folcrum agent blew the bio-hazard power into his face. Today, each gasp of breath was punctuated by the horrific squeezing of his heart muscle. He recognized the whine of the sirens, the frantic activity of the e.m.t.s around him, the twinge from the bite of the intravenous needle and the whoosh of the clean, plastic smell of the oxygen mask placed over his nose. He tried to speak but the mask blurred the words; the paramedic leaned into his line of vision and spoke.

"Mr. Casey, you are in an ambulance on route to the emergency room General Beckman directed us to. Do you understand, sir?"

Casey grunted, vision swirling around in and out and he frantically searched around the mobile hospital for further clues to his condition. Once again, his chest seized, the erratic pounding in his ears swelled in its volume, and he grabbed the front of his sweat drenched shirt to try and stop the chest pain.

"No, Casey, let the man do his work." Again, a face swirled into his line of vision, grabbed Casey's hands and tried to force them down.

"Bartowski….what…happened?" Casey pulled the mask slightly off his face to speak, but Charles Bartowski batted Casey's right hand away, letting the mask snap sharply back into place.

"Hey," Carey grunted, but it did not deter Chuck from getting into Casey's personal space.

"Listen, big guy, you got to let us work on you. You understand?" By now, Chuck had his hands on either side of Casey's jaw, staring intently into the frantic eyes of his handler. Casey glared into the chocolate eyes filled with concern for him and he tried to nod slightly. As soon as Casey relaxed, the familiar glazed look of a flash swiped over Chuck's face. Swiftly, Chuck ripped open Casey's chest and begin to apply the heart leads to his handler's skin. The blood pressure cuff inflated and Chuck read the numbers off to the paramedic to record.

Suddenly, Casey bolted upright, his face ashen, his limbs locked into immobility.

"Chuck…" Casey groaned, his hand searching frantically for Chucks. "Dear God, help me." He groaned loudly and then fell back onto the gurney.

"He's going into cardiac arrest!" Chuck shouted as the paramedic handed him the large needle of epinephrine. Once he got the nod from the e.m.t. Chuck centered the needle over Casey's chest and plunged it into the heart muscle.

The monitor steadied off, and Casey began to stir enough to moan. "Good, John, that's it." Chuck glanced at his partner and then blew a sign of relief as the frantic heart beat began to settle into normal rhythm.

"Hey, big guy, open those baby blues of yours, ok? " Chuck forced Casey to look him into the eye, and surprisingly, Chuck recognized a flash of abject fear in the eyes of his normally fearless friend, who reached, shaking, up to catch Chuck's hand again.

"Tell me…going on with me" Casey mumbled behind his mask, but didn't try to remove it this time.

"Somehow, you have had a massive heart attack, John." Chuck's serious tone and his

use of Casey's first name directed Casey to stare into Bartowski's face intently.

We're taking you to West Hills N.S.A. hospital." Chuck grasped Casey's hand, now fisted on the front of Chuck's Buy More uniform.

"How" Casey strained against the fingers of black unconsciousness that was beginning to close in on his peripheral vision.

"You were outside the apartment this morning, working on washing Vicky." At that name Casey relaxed his hand, eased back into the gurney and grunted for Chuck to continue.

"I was taking my garbage out to the sidewalk can and waved at you when you nodded at me. You then picked up the cell phone and mouthed to me, 'Pastor Annie'. I was just going to tell you to say hello for me, when you dropped the phone and clutched your chest. Before I could get to you, you were already on the ground, curled up in a fetal, groaning from the pain."

Memories of Pastor Annie's beautiful voice rushed over Casey's mind, and he begin to smile slightly when the spasms begin again in the center of his chest.

"Dear God, help me" Casey repeated, as if a prayer, as his body curled up reflexively around the pain. He grabbed Chuck's shirt once more, and ordered his younger friend.

"Call Annie…I need her." Casey frantically tried to get his phone from his black jeans pocket and as Chuck helped him release it from the denim, the phone rang "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In". Pastor Annie's Coburn's picture flashed on the screen, and Casey cried out and fell into the black abyss of unconsciousness


	2. Chapter 2

The Colonel and the Angel of Death

Chapter 2: The Enemy Returns

The day was shining brilliantly, and early spring was showing her beautiful colors in the Pacific Northwest, and Pastor Annie Coburn finished up her second counseling session that day. The couple had come for pre-marital counseling and the inventory Annie had received and the general gut truth she could see was a sign of hope for all three of them. It never ceased to amaze the parson how deep some soon-to-be wed couple's love for each other was, and these two proved to be good fits for each other.

"Well, Todd and Amy, we are at the final session before the wedding so I want to give you some homework." At the word "homework", the couple groaned as Annie passed them a packet of information.

"Here are some samples of wedding ceremonies you can choose to have me perform. There are several different items you can include, but only 2 of the items are truly law in the sight of God and our government: your vows, and my pronouncement of husband and wife. So go home, talk it over, and bring it back with you to the rehearsal OK?" The couple eagerly nodded, and after a quick prayer, Annie walked them out of her office to the church's front door, and watched them warmly as they got in the care and drove off.

She was just turning away when the church door opened and a shabbily dressed man with a sweater hat pulled low, stumbled into the church narthex.

"Yes?" Annie was startled and then reached out her hand to greet him. "May I help you?"

The man kept his head down, and mumbled, "Мне нужно питание"на русский язык.

"Sorry?" Annie backed away a little, her mind sending a slight tingle of discomfort at the edge of anger in his voice.

He promptly stepped forward, and his hand came out of his pocket, brandishing a short knife at her. He repeated the phrase and shook the knife menacingly at her.

"Sir", Annie again stepped back and put both hands ups. "Sir, we don't have any money on the church property. But I can get you a paper that can help give you food and gas. My secretary, Terry.." at that Annie raised her voice and another woman stepped out from a nearby office. Instantly, Terry froze at the sight of the man threatening the pastor.

"Terry, this man needs some help." Annie tried to keep her voice calm and quiet, keeping her eyes on the man who retreated a few steps when Terry came out. He flicked the knife shut and stuffed it back into his pocket.

The man spoke slowly, struggling with the English words. "I ...need...food." he still kept his face down and away from them, but his feet shuffled nervously. Annie noticed the casual shoes seemed a little too nice for the rest of his clothes, but she filed that fact away quickly.

"Terry, let's get the files of food voucher and fill one out for this man." Annie spoke to the direction of her secretary.

"Nyet." The man jumped forward, the knife out once more, and grabbed Annie's arm. "Go with...you." he grunted and shoved her toward the office door. Terry retreated and they went slowly into the pastor's office, the man's blade pressed firmly against the hollow of Annie's back.

Terry swiftly found the voucher, and passed it first to the man. He shook his head and nodded toward the pastor. His eyes darted around the office nervously, and then settled on a small photo resting on the pastor's desk. In the photo, a tall, handsome man in a dark blue suit was standing against a tree, a smile resting on his lips, and his right arm hooked in the waistband of the slacks. The knife blade sank into the skin of Annie's back as the intruder stared at the photo. She gasped at the thrust, and a small blood trail began to appear on the back of her blouse.

"Hey!" Annie spoke sharply, her heart racing, as the blade imbedded itself in her back even further. "You need me to sign this piece of paper." Her hands shook at the onslaught of pain, as she tried to pulled away from him. He stepped up to her even closer, and she felt his hot breath on her neck. He did pull his knife back a little, as Annie hissed at the knife's retraction. She leaned slowly over the desk, hastily filled the form out, all the time with him pressed up to her back, his body following every moment her body made. She thrust the signed paper at him, and he ripped it out of her hands quickly. She noticed a large gold ring on his left hand, an intricate symbol welded on top of the large band.

"Stay" he ordered, and before Annie could move away from him, he plunged the knife in and out, and then bolted for the door, and headed out of the church. Annie's legs began to wobble, and she crumbled to the rug by her desk.

Terry knelt down quickly and tried to see how bad her pastor was. "Dear Jesus, help me." Annie gasped as she reach out to Terry.

"Call 911 now, and give me John's photo."Terry passed Annie the photo and then used the hard line to call 911. Annie struggled to keep conscious, the searing pain radiating through her entire body. Struggling to control her breathing, Annie turned the photo over, and slipped the back off. By now the blood was staining the carpet, and her stomach was lurching, fingers of darkness closing in the periphery of her sight. Annie swallowed several times as she retrieved her cell phone from her blouse's front pocket and dialed the little used number written on the back of the man's photo.

"John...oh my John...please answer."Annie pleased as she and Terry tried to stuff Kleenex tissues where the knife wound was. The phone rang three times, but then suddenly came alive.

"John...John" Annie struggled upward but groaned as the intensity of the pain ramped up. Instead of John's rich baritone, Chuck Bartowski's frantic tenor voice was yelling over the siren in the background.

"Pastor Annie, oh Thank God." Chuck yelled and Annie could hear the emergency medical tech in the background yelling heart stats at Chuck.

"Chuck, what's wrong with John?" Annie gasped and her heart sank at the sound of Chuck frenzied breathing. Her own pain was forgotten but her frustration at trying to hear Chuck was ever increasing.

"Annie, we are on our way to West Hills with John." Chuck explained and Annie groaned remembering the last visit Casey made to West Hills after being whipped by Nahran Kalid, a Jihad terrorist.

"Dear Jesus"Annie prayed quietly, tears stinging her eyes, as she struggled to stay alert.

"Annie, you need to come. John needs you. Annie? Annie?" Chuck heard the parson's cry of pain and the dropping on the cell phone. Another woman's voice frantically spoke into the phone.

"John, are you there?" The unknown woman's voice hollered."John, you have got to help Pastor!" The other woman was sobbing hard and Chuck tried to calm her down.

"Ma'am, listen, shush. This is Chuck. I am a friend of John's. What's wrong with Pastor?" Chuck bent over Casey's still body, trying hard to listen at the same time he was checking erratic beating of the Colonel's heart.

"She's been stabbed. Oh, dear God, there is blood all over her shirt. You got to help us."

The woman tried to get her sobs under control.

"Listen, what's you name? Terry, right. OK, Terry, have you called 911? Good. You tell them when they come for Pastor to contact General Beckman once then get Annie stabilized. That's right, General Beckman. Tell her Charles Carmichael needs air transport a.s.a.p. We will get a Medivac from Fort Lewis to the nearest helipad and air lift her to John, Ok?" He listened intently and nodded when he heard the woman calm down and take his orders. He quickly signed off and then realized he had said nothing to the secretary or the pastor about the specifics of Casey's condition. He watched the erratic beat and laid his hand gently on his friend's chest, away from the monitor's leads. He breathed in a shaky breath, and prayed a sincere prayer not only for his handler but for the compassionate woman Casey loved.

The unidentified knife wielding intruder was slouched in the black, nondescript sedan parked two blocks from the church's front door. He pulled his hat off and dialed swiftly on a circular shaped phone, speaking quietly into it.

"Da. Target found, connection verified. However, target compromised. Nyet, nyet, cannot neutralize further. Da, will verify transportation of target." He click the phone off and smiled widely at himself in the rear view mirror.

"John Casey, I am not far from you now, comrade." He spoke in a clear, Aussie accent, smiling at the thought, as he started the car and pulled slowly away, watching the aid cars rushing up to the church's front door.


	3. Chapter 3

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 3 Two Worlds Collide.

Col. Casey is ripped from his relaxing day into a cardiac arrest, while his woman, far to the north in the Pacific Northwest, is attacked by one of Casey's old enemies. What happens when the two worlds collide violently?

The first of Col. Casey's senses to return was his hearing. He cringed at the cacophony of noise and hustle around him; the beeps of the various machines, the urgent orders given in an authoritative voice, which he soon recognized to be Dr. Devon Woodcomb's. He struggled to open his eyes, but Awesome's pen light stabbed at his vision and he tried to turn his head away violently. The doctor's strong, right hand grabbed his oxygen-covered chin and held on.

"John, stop it. Let me examine you. I've got to look into those baby blues, dude." Casey quieted down, but the doc was having a hard time pinpointing the N.S.A. pupil reaction. His "baby blues" were darting around the room frantically, trying to assess where he was.

"Listen, neighbor," Devon lowered the pen light, and place his hand firmly on Casey's bare chest. Startled at Devon's bold invasion of his body space, the Marine stared intently at the doctor.

"John, you are at the NSA hospital in West Hills. No, don' talk." Devon stopped Casey's hand from moving the mask away from his mouth and continued speaking slowly and carefully to his normally stoic friend, now aggressively agitated.

"The General called me in. Your tests show that you have had a cardiac arrest."

Casey grunted loudly and shook his head disbelievingly. Again, Devon placed his hand on Casey's heaving chest, and commanded the Colonel, "Dude, listen." Devon's surfer language was rapidly annoying Casey, but he willed his erratic breathing to slow down. Amazingly, the heart monitor's incessant blipping slowed down, also, as Devon glanced at it and smiled.

"Yeah, that's the way, John. Control your reaction, man. Slow it down. Slow it down." Devon grinned widely and patted his friend.

"Good, Casey. I know you want to go kick some butt right now, but we need to know what caused this. Chuck said you were washing your car when it happened."

Casey nodded slowly, as Devon checked the meds going into the Marine's pick line.

"OK, that's not a highly, aggressive exercise for a big tough guy like you." Devon teased him, as Casey grunted his annoyance. "What happened then?"

Devon moved to adjust the mask, and then waited as he watched Casey remember. Slowly, Casey's face mimed getting a phone call.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Chuck said you got a call from Pastor Annie." At the mentioned of the woman's name, Casey stiffened suddenly, and grunted out his pain, his hands reaching up to clutch frantically at his chest. Immediately, the machines began to scream shrilly.

"Annie..."gasped the Colonel, tears squeezing out of his red face. "Dear Lord, Annie...pray."

The horrendous squeezing in his heart muscle did not let up and his entire body clenched in pain; the Marine began to lose consciousness. The last voice he heard was Devon screaming "Code blue!"

Meanwhile, Pastor Annie Coburn was currently being transported high above the sky over Oregon on her way to West Hills, California. She stirred slightly, as her spirit began to hear from far away, "Dear Lord, Annie, pray."

"John..." she whispered, and was able to slowly become aware of the rhythmic chopping of the medivac blades. Someone was rustling near her, calling out medical vitals, and she realized the information was about her. The gloriously woozy feeling she was wrapped in stilled the sharp pain in her lower back, and the memory of being stabbed in her office back home by the Russian lunatic seemed unreal and mythical.

"Pastor Coburn?" The emergency medical technician moved over to her line of vision and called to her again. "Annie," he spoke louder.

"Hmmm," she mumbled reluctantly.

"You've been stabbed and the knife has nicked your right kidney. You have lost a lot of blood, so we are taking to you to West Hills N.S.A. Hospital. General Beckman instructed us to tell you that Col. Casey will be waiting for you."

"John?" the pastor became restless as she struggled with what the e.m.t. was telling her. The pain in her back began to ramp up and she became more aware of her surroundings.

"No...John's hurt. I have got to get to him" She tried to move off the gurney, but the e.m.t. leaned over her body to restrain her.

"Shh," he said calmly, as he firmly applied pressure to lower her back onto the gurney. Another paramedic squeezed an I.V. Needle full of sedative into her line, and as Annie slipped back into a deep sleep, she prayed softly, mumbling, "Jesus...help my John."

The e.m.t. that had restrained the pastor patted the pilot on the shoulder and shouted over the helicopter sounds. "Radio the General now. Tell her Pastor knows the Colonel is hurt." The pilot jerked his head around in surprise and mouthed "How?"

The medical technician shrugged his shoulders and went back to monitoring the mysterious woman now fast asleep, as the helicopter sped through the air toward the injured N.S.A. Agent.

Reviews, slams, encouragements, and just good old fashioned swapping howdys much appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 4 "Gentle Hands, Steel Boxes"

Casey's life is still in the balance as General Beckman struggles to get Rev. Coburn to him. Unfortunately, the only one who can help the parson is Ellie Woodcomb, who is in the dark as to the real jobs of Casey, Sarah and of course, her own brother. Continuing series in the slightly alternative universe.

Charles Bartowski, the C.I.A.'s Intersect was normally a hyper individual anyway, but the medical crisis of his handler and friend, Colonel John Casey has increased his kinetic energy to a new high. He paced in the surgery waiting room, wringing his hands, and stopping at least one hundred times to look for his brother-in-law's anticipated appearance. Sarah Walker, Chuck's C.I.A. girlfriend,

was texting General Beckman and watching her frantic asset pace back and forth.

"Chuck, Casey's in the best of hands, Devon's hands." Sarah reached out and caught Chuck's right hand, forcing him to sit down beside her in the plastic Large Mart chairs. Chuck's head kept moving back and forth, and his right leg continued to bounce up and down until Sarah laid her hand on it. He took a deep breath in and focused on the beautiful, blues eyes of his other handler.

"Do you think he will live, Sarah? Oh, Lord, it was awful." Chuck buried his head in his hands and shuttered all over.

"He was having a great time washing the Vic and when Pastor Annie called him, his whole face lit up and he actually grinned from ear to ear. Do you realize how little Casey smiles? I mean not a menacing 'I will blow your man parts off with my Sauer' grin, but an honest to God, reaching his eyes smile?"

Sarah brought Chuck's hands up to her lips and she kissed them gently. "General Beckman called for Devon because he is the best in myocardial vascular medicine here in all of L.A. He is going to find out what happened to Casey. He won't stop until he does!"

At that point, Chuck's phone rang and his sister's picture flashed up on the screen. "It's Ellie," he spoke to Saran as she released his hand.

"Ellie, is everything OK?" Chuck tried to stay calm, so that Ellie would not pick up the urgency in his voice.

Ellie's voice was yelling over the sounds of the ambulance sirens. "Chuck!" she screamed as the stretcher came off the Medivac and she gasped at the familiar face of her patient. "It's Pastor Annie." Ellie began to run towards the open door's of her own hospital's emergency room, when two men in black suits and dark glasses blocked her way.

"Dr. Woodcomb? My name is Agent Chad Shelton, N.S.A." He pulled out his credentials and as he did she saw a glimpse of s Sig Sauer pistol, much like Casey's tucked under his suit jacket. Ellie dropped the phone from her ear, but kept the line open to Chuck.

"Your medical expertise is needed, Dr. Woodcomb. You have been orde..." the man stopped as Ellie's stance became defensive. "Asked to come with us and Rev. Coburn to a special medical facility to meet with Co..." again the man stopped and rephrased his words. "Mr. John Casey. If that is your brother on the phone, please confirm this information with him."

Meanwhile, Chuck's voice was yelling from out of her cell phone, and she brought it up to her ear. "Chuck," Ellie breathlessly said, "there is a N.S.A. Agent here and he wants me to go with him to take care of Pastor Annie. What is happening here?"

Ellie watched as Annie was being transported to an unmarked ambulance, and then Agent Shelton began to try and hustle her, also.

"Ellie, go! Annie needs you. Don't be afraid, sis. Remember, you are the best doctor Annie needs now, so go, OK?" Sarah had risen to stand by Chuck and she listened in on the conversation, her hand on Chuck's back, calming him down.

"Dr. Woodcomb, we need to go now." Agent Shelton motioned for Ellie to climb in beside the pastor's still body. Ellie closed her phone, and as the doors to the ambulance were shut, she realized she had no idea where she was going. No windows were installed in the body of the ambulance, but it seemed supplied with all the latest equipment. The two agents hopped up into the driving cab, and the one named Shelton started the engine as he buckled in. He turned to Ellie and asked, "Ready to roll, Doc?"

At her nod, he slid the steel door shut between them and Ellie, alone with Pastor Coburn, was being transported to an unknown destination in a cold, steel box. She sighed heavily, and then went to work on Pastor Annie, gently and efficiently.

Reviews are certainly appreciated. Thanks to those that have responded! Yes, Chad Shelton really exists in cyberland, and perhaps TVLand!


	5. Chapter 5

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 5 The Finger of the Death Angel

Devon finds the real reason behind Casey's heart attack, but unfortunately, Sarah and Chuck must hide some facts from him in order to obey General Beckman, facts that may hurt both Casey and his woman.

The next time a cell phone rang, it was Sarah's phone. Sarah glanced down and saw the photo of

of the General. "Yes, ma'am" Sarah answered swiftly, and Chuck leaned in to hear.

"Agent Walker, you and Agent Bartowski need to understand that Pastor Coburn knows somehow that the Colonel is hurt."

Chuck broke in and stammered, "I never got the chance to tell her, General."

The General stopped speaking for a moment, angered at Chuck's interruption, but she continued on. "Pastor Coburn knows that Agent Casey is wounded, and that puts us all in a very precarious position."

Chuck again interrupted, "how bad is she, General?"

The agents heard the general take a sharp breath in, and then she spoke." The Medivac e.m.t. said that she was still bleeding profusely, and the knife used by her attacker had clipped her right kidney. The attending paramedic feels she may loose that kidney before she is stabilized. I have authorized them to transport her to the N.S.A. Hospital there where you two are, but therein lies the problem."

Chuck pulled the phone away and spoke again into it. "Please General, forgive my interruptions but why is this a bad thing? Annie and Casey need each other at this point. Why is that so precarious?"

"Bartowski, give the phone back to Agent Walker this very moment." The General barked out her order, and Chuck obediently passed the phone back to Sarah. "Go on General," Sarah smiled at Chuck and spoke a little softer to her superior.

"Ellie Woodcomb does not know your true vocations, neither does she know Col. Casey's full identity. We cannot divulge any more information to Dr. Ellie without compromising the Intersect and putting both Doctor Woodcombs in danger. She is not to know that Dr. Devon is taking care of Col. Casey. Dr. Ellie's job is to save Pastor Coburn and then get back to the regular hospital. Do you two understand? Your cover must not be exposed to your sister by any means. Do you understand, Agents Walker and Bartowski?" The General has spoken quietly to Walker, but when she mentioned Chuck's last name, her voice rose a few octaves.

Sarah and Chuck glanced at each other and murmured in unison, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Now, " the General's voice softened as she asked, "How is _our_ Colonel Casey?" The agents were surprised at the General's use of the intimate pronoun. Chuck maneuvered closer again the Sarah's phone and reported, "We haven't heard anything from Devon yet, but..." Chuck stopped speaking as he say his brother-in-law stride quickly to them.

Sarah took her phone back from Chuck and passed it to Devon, mouthing the words, "General Beckman."

"General, yes ma'am. We just opened Casey's chest up and we found a tiny pellet dart lodged in his mitre valve."

Chuck and Sarah involuntarily gasped at the news, as Devon held up his hand to quiet them.

"We removed the dart, and he is stabilized in the C.C.U. Yes, ma'am. The dart caused the valve to fluctuate so much his heart was flipped into rapid tachycardia." Devon paused, "No, ma'am, there's more."

Devon glances at Chuck and Sarah's ashen faces and continued reporting. "The dart released a toxin into Casey's heart muscle and that's what caused the heart attack. Unfortunately, his heart muscle was damaged."

At that, Chuck moaned, "Oh, Lord," and sat down abruptly, holding onto Sarah's hand even tighter.

Devon continued, "No, ma'am the damage is minimal, but he still is in critical condition, and I can see some pretty intense cardio-rehab before he can be released. Yes, ma'am, he is not awake and I have directed the nurses to keep him in a coma for about 24 hours until his heart muscle can begin to heal. Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your confidence in me." Devon grinned and shot a thumbs up Chuck's way. In spite of the crisis, Chuck relaxed and he and Sarah actually smiled. Devon was about to give the phone back, when his face went entirely white.

"You what?" Devon snorted and then added quickly, "ma'am. My wife is coming with Pastor Annie? But ma'am," this time Devon sat down, and he gulped. "General Beckman, you know I cannot hide anything from my wife. Look what a disaster that was before, when I lied to her about Casey being an raging alcoholic and a flasher. Ma'am, I cannot do what you are asking me."

Chuck snatched the phone. "Please, General. John Casey needs Annie next to him, he requested it. What do we tell Ellie as to why Casey, Sarah and I are all here in this facility?"

The silence from Chuck made Devon and Sarah extremely nervous, but when Chuck's shoulders slumped, they knew the red-headed spit-fire Army General has won yet another battle.

"Yes, ma'am, we will let you know if there is any change in both Casey and Pastor Annie." Chuck closed the phone slowly, and handed it back to Sarah. "Guys," he sighed loudly, "we are in a boatload of crap!"


	6. Chapter 6

The Colonel Vs. the Angel of Death Chapter 6 "The Total Eclipse of the Heart"

Col. Casey's heart attack has a mysterious cause, but the Marine is certain the man that plunged a hypodermic needle in his leg at the Costa Graves Embassy may be somehow mixed up in this mess.

He was back in the basement of the Costa Graves embassy, this time tethered to a steel chair bolted to the floor. A soldier had gun butted his head several times, blood pouring from the various cuts on his face, and a huge migraine was pounding behind his eyeballs. His left eye was swollen shut, and he tried to make his one good eye watch the Ring agent with the filled hypodermic need moving closer with each of Casey's gasps for breath.

The Ring agent grabbed ahold of Casey's hair and yanked his head violently back. The familiar stench of the man's breath filled the Marine's nostrils, as the man leaned closely into Casey's face.

"Do you remember me, John Casey?" The Australian accent rolled of the Ring agent's lips, and Casey grunted in recognition. "You got away from me last time, John Casey, but this time, I will make sure you will never live to see your precious Annie again."

Casey jerked his head away from the man's fist, and spat a huge wad of phlegm and blood at the Ring agent. As Casey watched the glob ooze down the man's face, the livid agent raised the needle and plunged it into Casey's chest, injecting the green fluid rapidly.

"Arggh," Casey screamed and his entire body bolted backwards. But instead of a steel chair, he felt a sheet covered bed, and instead on the rank odor of the embassy's basement, he smelt the antiseptic smell of the hospital. Instead of the torturer's voice, he heard Devon, ordering the nursing staff and as his eyes flew open, he flinched and stared at the huge needle of epinephrine as it plunged into his chest cavity. Casey groaned again in pain, and tried to move away.

"Come on, John. Don't flat line on me again." Devon continued to glance between Casey and the heart monitor. His patient began to settle down, and slowly the blip on the screen began to display a regular heart rhythm.

"All right, team, excellent." Devon pried open Casey's eyelids once more and flashed the pen light. "Both pupils responsive and reactive." Devon leaned closer into Casey's line of vision and spoke loudly, "John, I see you are back with us."

The Colonel merely grunted and tried to bat the offensive light away. Devon laughed as he listen once more to the N.S.A. Agent's heart. Devon nodded enthusiastically and looked directly at Casey.

"John, you have stabilized. The heart is strong, the valve is work well, but we have got to get that toxin out of your heart muscle, and out of your blood stream. We are flushing the poison out slowly, so just hang in there with me, all right?"

The Colonel raised his eyebrows in a question and tried to speak behind the oxygen mask.

"John, don't talk. You were shot with a dart that penetrated your chest and lodged itself into your mitre valve. We removed the dart..." Devon reached into his pocked and pulled an evidence bag out to show Casey. "This little bugger released some type of poison into your heart and that is why you are having these cardiac episodes."

Casey stared at the dart, and then gasped quietly behind the mask. "Ring...show Chuck", as he pointed to the bag. Devon nodded and then wiped the sweat off of Casey's brow. John jerked back at first from the intimate gesture, but Devon stared at him seriously.

"John, you need to understand your mission now is not outside this C.C.U. Your mission is to rely on me and get strong. Let Sarah and my bro take care of this." Devon held up the bag once more.

"I'll take care of you, but you have got to cooperate. Understand, Colonel?" The surfer dude was long gone and the cardial-vascular surgeon was at the forefront. Casey nodded once, and as he began to slip back into the morphine fueled sleep, Devon whispered in his ear.

"Pastor Annie needs you, bro." Casey jolted awake and spoke slowly, his speech slurred by the medication.

"Annie...my Annie" he then slipped deeply into the welcomed darkness.

Devon smiled at the Colonel, watching the soldier's face soften into something Devon had never seen on the N.S.A. face: a man deeply in love.

Devon patted Casey's shoulder as he turned to leave. "You have got it bad, dude!" He turned on his heels and walked briskly out to show Chuck the dart.


	7. Chapter 7

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 7 "The Truth Shall Set You Free"

While Col. Casey recovers in C.C.U. At the West Hills N.S.A. Hospital, Ellie is with Pastor Annie and they race to meet up with the Marine. But Ellie is not taking secrecy lying down and she is determined to find out the truth.

Ellie continued to monitor Pastor Annie as the ambulance flew down the streets of what Ellie thought was Los Angeles. Only once did Annie respond to Ellie, and that was when Ellie's pen light shone in the parson's rich, brown eyes, much like Chuck Bartowski's. Since Annie's condition had stabilized, Ellie sat back on the e.m.t. Bench and took time to inventory the state of the art ambulance, taking note of the new equipment not yet on the general market.

"My tax dollars at work." Ellie giggled slightly then bent to listen to Annie's heart. Immediately, Ellie's phone rang in her pocket and when she fished it out, she saw her brother's goofy grin staring at her.

"Hey, Chuck," Ellie greeted her brother with the phone tucked between her shoulder and ear, and noted Annie's vitals on the chart provided.

"Hey, El, how's Pastor Annie?" Chuck seemed a little breathless, but Ellie attributed that to his excitement over Annie's condition.

"She's stabilized and slightly responsive when I shine the light in her eyes. But I really don't know how close I am to where we are going, and I really don't know how...wait, I think we are slowing down."

The ambulance came to a stop and Agent Shelton knocked on the steel partition and slid it open. "We're here, ma'am." He nodded at her as he and the other agent jumped out to open the back doors of the ambulance.

Ellie brought the phone up to her ear. "Chuck? I got to go. Yes, we are here, somewhere. OK, I love you. I'll update you later." Ellie was about to hang up the phone, when she heard the distinctive voice of her own husband calling out to Chuck, and saying something about Casey suffering a heart attack. "Devon, Devon, is that you?" Ellie screamed loudly.

Agent Shelton glanced at the other agent, and took Ellie's free wrist sternly in his hand. "Dr. Woodcomb, now." He ordered gently, staring intently at the doctor as he tried to help her out of the ambulance. Ellie folded her phone up and jammed it angrily into her pocket. She stared right back at the agent, into the sky blue eyes that reminded her of John Casey. She turned to help unload the gurney out of the ambulance. Shelton reached his hand up to her, and as she descended the steel steps down to the hospital's payment, she held his hand slightly longer and demanded quietly, "What is my husband doing at a N.S.A. Hospital, taking care of John Casey?"

Agent Shelton's eyes flashed surprise, but he quickly recovered and looked directly at Ellie, his face unreadable. 'How like John Casey' Ellie thought but dismissed it quickly.

"Dr., your patient needs your full attention. I suggest we concentrate on Pastor Coburn's condition."

Ellie ran to keep up with Annie and the agents as they pushed into the hospital emergency entrance. Under her breath, she swore she would find out the truth somehow.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same hospital, Devon was calling out to his brother in law loudly, "Chuck, Casey told me I need you to look at the cause of his heart attack." At that very moment, the loud speaker broadcasted the need for Dr. Woodcomb to come to Casey's room.

"Oh, Crap!" Chuck spoke quietly, as Sarah looked at him questioning. "I think Ellie just heard Devon over my phone." Sarah stopped Chuck, and glanced at the rapidly approaching Devon. She whispered quickly, "Say nothing to him, Chuck. Let's just hear what he says about Casey and then we will see if we can do damage control with Ellie later."

"Hey, guys, Casey's stabilized but he wanted you to see this dart for some reason." Devon handed Chuck the small evidence bag, and nodded as Chuck looked for permission to open it. Devon knew Chuck's identity as a C.I.A. Agent, and he suspected Chuck could access some pretty sophisticated computer technology, but he was not aware that Chuck was that computer. Gently, Bartowski fingered the dart, and before he could pull away from Devon, a series of computer images of Costa Graves Embassy, the Ring operative that tried to needle Casey, and finally Casey's bloody leg flashed into his mind.

"Whoah, " Chuck staggered back as Devon and Sarah helped him sit down. Sarah, held his face in her hands, searching his eyes for clues to a flash.

"Hey, bro, you all right?" Devon checked the jugular in Chuck's neck, and noted the rapid heart beat.

"You didn't prick yourself with the dart, did you?" Sarah coached Chuck as he tried to erase the memory of the impromptu surgery he had to perform on his N.S.A. Handler, over a year ago.

"Yeah, well, whoah, head rush." Chuck turned to Devon, and quickly stowed the dart back in the bag, giving it back to the doctor.

"Man, I guess I did get a little of that poison. I don't feel so awesome, Devon." Chucked played up his discomfort with the hopes that the doctor would leave to find some meds to help him.

Devon's eyes searched Chuck's face, and then nodded. "Let me get something to help you. Be right back." He stood up and began to walk back to the I.C.U. to get some antibiotic and anti-nausea pills. As he began to stow the dart away, he paused and peered at it carefully. He saw no indication of toxic poison on the dart's tip, and even more importantly, no evidence of Chuck's blood on the tip.

"What's going on? Devon asked, then shook his head. Before he could think anymore on the problem, the loud speaker once again called him to Casey's room.

"Sarah, it's the angel of death all over again." Chick grabbed Sarah's hands and stared at her intently.

"What do you mean, Chuck?"

"This dart. If I'm not mistaken, it was made by BioTech Labs, the same outfit that made the Ring Agent's needle that he plunged into Casey's leg at the Costa Graves embassy."

"We need to see that lab report on the type of toxin used in that dart." Sarah glanced around to see that no one was near them as she spoke. "If it is the same type of toxin we found in Casey's leg, we know it's the same Ring operative."

Sarah and Chuck both stood up, but then Chuck began to sway. "Ohhh, man," Chuck groaned and sat back down onto the chair as Devon ran up to them.

"Here, Chuck, antibiotic and anti-nausea." Devon handed both pills to his brother in law, and tried to check him over quickly.

"I'll go get some water, Chuck. It will help the pills go down easier." Sarah stared at Chuck, willing him to wait until she came back. He nodded slightly at her then bent over and put his head into his hands.

"Hey, Bro, sorry you are not feeling well. That toxin was pretty powerful and if it wasn't for Casey's overall excellent health and his physical size, he would have died from just that small amount in that dart."

"Hey," Chuck lifted his head up as Sarah passed the cup of water to him. As he reached for the water, the pills were exchanged swiftly and Chuck pretended to down the pills and the water while Sarah tucked the unnecessary tablets away in her pocket.

Sarah turned to Devon, and asked him, "do you have a copy of the toxicology report on the toxin used? Chuck's got a theory and we need to check it out."

Devon nodded and ran back over to the nurses' station. He accessed the computer records and printed out a copy of the report, and then trotted back over to Chuck and Sarah.

"Thanks, Devon. You're the best, Awesome. I think we need to get to a computer to follow up on our hunch." Chuck began to rise out of the seat, but Devon's arms reached out and forced him to sit down.

"No can do, bro. Wait 30 minuted before you move. Those meds need time to get going in your system." Devon was a pretty good face reader, and he was surprised to see a flash of panic streak across Chuck's face.

"Now, don't you worry." Devon misread the reason for the fear. "Those pills will work wonders. I know where the good stuff is, after all." Devon chuckled, and didn't notice the pleading look between Sarah and his brother in law.

"Listen, Devon. Is there a computer I can use to follow up on Chuck's theory?" Sarah spoke quickly to deflect Devon's attention.

"Sure, there is one in the medical lounge we can access. How about I show you where and then when Chuck is ready, he can join you?"

Sarah nodded eagerly, kissed Chuck's lips and whispered, "Give me 10 minutes, and then follow me, ok?"

No sooner had the two left Chuck, a ruckus sound down the opposite hallway. Chuck stood and tried to see what was happening. Two men in black suits and sunglasses were pushing an occupied gurney accompanied by none other than Dr. Ellie Woodcomb., who was desperately trying to maintain vitals on her moving patient. At that moment, Ellie glanced up and she saw her brother.

"Chuck, what are you doing here?" she demanded and grabbed the gurney to stop the N.S.A. Agents.

Her brother gulped, noticed the cold stances of Casey's fellow agents and then leaned over to see Pastor Annie's ashen face peeking out from under the covers.

"Ma'am", spoke the agent who was built like John Casey." We need to get the Pastor stabilized."

He nodded to the other man and they began to pull away with the gurney. Ellie spun around and shook her index finger at Chuck.

"I can't talk to now, but we are NOT finished." She yelled back as she ran off to catch up to Special Agent Chad Shelton and Casey's Pastor Annie.


	8. Chapter 8

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 8 "The Evidence of Things Not Seen"

Colonel Casey and Pastor Annie Coburn are finally reunited, but things did not go according to plan, and the General's orders are now officially in the toilet.

He lay quietly in the C.C.U. In the N.C.A. Hospital, his eyes alert and taking in the medical armory placed around him. It had been a fitful night, his dreams flitting in and out of the morphine he was certainly on. His chest pain had subsided, but his frustration at his current situation had not. No one had reported to him about his condition, and there were a nagging thought at the edges of John Casey's mind. As he replayed the ambulance trip, the subsequent surgery and the faces of Devon Woodcomb and Chuck Bartowski, he suddenly remembered Devon's whispered admonition. "Pastor Annie is going to need you, bro." Casey, startled, his uneasiness ramping up as he pushed down the button to lower his bed closer to the floor. He cautiously stood up, gently freeing the monitor and i.v. lines enough to let him move over to the bedside cabinet and search for his cell phone. He nearly dropped it when the nurse hurried into his room and began to shout.

"Colonel Casey, back in bed!" the nurse ordered, as Casey whipped around, his right hand equipped with his Sig Sauer, safety off, red target dot right on the nurse's heart. Unfortunately, as he whipped around his body, Casey's head begun to spin and he slumped up against the bed, slowly heading for the floor, ripping his I.v. Out, and letting go of his Sauer. The nurse valiantly tried to hold the 6 foot 4 inch man up, but they both slowly crashed to the floor as the nurse cried out for help. At that moment, the gurney with Pastor Annie pushed by, and Ellie Woodcomb, her attention pulled from Annie and onto the nurse's frantic voice stepped into the room.

"John? Oh, my Lord, it's John" Ellie gasped and ran in to his side, before Special Agent Chad Shelton could stop her.

"I'm a doctor, nurse. Let me help. Agent Shelton, help me lift John back in bed." Shelton sighed loudly and commanded the other agent, "Stay here with the Pastor." as he obeyed the immovable force known as Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb.

"Ellie..." Casey grasped the familiar shoulder, his face wincing in the pain and confusion.

"Why...are...you...here?" he struggled to raise himself up from the floor, but Ellie noticed the blood spewing forth from his hand shunt.

"Lord, John, what in heaven's name did you do?" Swiftly, Ellie reached for an ace bandage, and tourniquet. She wrapped the rubber tourniquet tightly around Casey's upper arm to stop the blood flow and pressed gauze over the slowing blood trickle from the torn hole. She then ordered Agent Shelton to lift Casey up and put him in bed. A large man himself, Shelton picked Casey up after murmuring "Colonel", and plopped the Marine unceremoniously down on the bed. "Shelton." Casey grunted his thanks.

"John..." a small voice called from outside Casey's door, and John knew it instantly. "Annie..."he called..."Where are you?" Casey cried out and tried to once more get out of the bed and move toward the voice. Shelton flung himself over Casey and held him down to the bed.

"Sir," Shelton warned as he tried to still his frantic officer. Ellie was trying to reinsert the new I.v., but Casey became even more agitated by the pain and the need to seek out his Annie.

"Shelton, stand down!" Casey roared and he thrust himself up to move the large N.S.A. Agent off of him. Suddenly, Casey instantly stopped when he heard the voice again.

"John, don't fight your brother." The small voice called out again and everyone turned toward the door to see who had the power to quiet a raging Casey. There stood Pastor Annie Coburn, swaying slightly, her bloodied blouse rumpled around the heart leads, her arms and feet trying to reach the colonel. The agent who had been with her was trying desperately to get her back in bed, but seeing the determination in her face, he straighten the leads out to allow her to move off the gurney.

Dr. Ellie's face was in shock as she, too, witnessed the incredible connection her friends had.

"Please, let the Pastor come in." Ellie commanded and as Casey relaxed enough, Shelton let go of his brother's body and reached out his hand to help Annie get near.

Quickly, as Casey leaned slightly toward Pastor, Ellie reinserted the I.v. snd shot a load of sedative and pain killer into the line. Casey visibly slumped into his pillow, his other hand reaching out to touch Annie's fingertips.

Slowly, Annie stepped to his side, and gently laid her head on his massive, strong chest. His arms encircled her gently, so very gently, as she wept silently, finally, in the safety of his arms.

"My Annie...my darling Annie..." Casey whispered, tears slowly running trails down his cheeks. As his right hand slid down her back, he felt the warm blood seeping out through the bandages on Annie's back.

"Shelton, get over here on the double and get Annie into the E.R." Casey ordered as he tried to prevent her from sliding downward to the floor. Her weight pulled on his chest wound, and he gasped in pain once again, as he tried to catch her. Silently, Chad lifted the woman up, and nodded to the Colonel. Ellie grabbed John's arm and spoke carefully.

"John, I will take very good care of her for you. You need to rest." Ellie pushed John back gently onto his pillow, as he struggled to keep conscious against the medication.

"Dear Jesus, please Ellie, don't let them die." Casey's eyes closed momentarily in a prayer, but sprang open when someone else appeared at the door.

"Casey, what in the blazes do you think..." Devon stood at the doorway, and stared dumbfounded at the scene in front of him. Colonel John Casey, flushed, sweating, blood on his hands, was trying very hand to push down his hospital gown over his privates. A bloodied and comatose Pastor Annie was being lifted onto a gurney by a man Devon could have sworn was a younger Casey, with Sauer pistols peeking out from under his jacket, and Devon's own wife was in the middle of it all.

"Ellie, what are you doing here?" Devon stuttered out, as his wife began to say the same thing.

Then the frantic steps of Converse covered feet of one super spy Charles Bartowski filled the hallway as he, too appeared at Casey's doorway.

"Oh, Crap!" Chuck swore as Sarah's blond head peeked in too. Casey lurched up from his bed, pulled his gown down angrily over his lower body, and stared, rather rummy eyed at Chuck.

"You are not kidding, moron!" Casey grunted loudly and then passed out.

Nearing the end, folks. Would love to have some more reviews. Your encouragement is so appreciated, even better than a shooting lesson from Col. John Casey.


	9. Chapter 9

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 9 "Death Walks Among Us"

When the Colonel and his woman finally meet at the N.S.A. Hospital, an unwelcomed guest continues his game of revenge on both of them.

The mobile imaging machine was slowing scanning Rev. Annie Coburn's body as the unconscious woman lay still on the imaging cot. Dr. Ellie Woodcomb and the radiologist technician

were watching the images ticking on the computer screen, behind the observation window. They scanned the right kidney area, and Dr. Woodcome released a heavy sigh she didn't realize she had held in..

"It's shot, isn't it?" Ellie hung her head as the technician agreed. "Well let me see the left kidney, too, so we can have a solid base line." The technician punched in the orders on the computer motherboard and the machine began to swivel across Annie's side. Suddenly, Ellie gasped again and grabbed ahold of the tech's shoulder.

"On, my Lord," she sighed again as she and the technician were looking at the image of a wiggly, healthy preborn 3 month old baby. "I better tell the surgeon, and then her boyfriend." Ellie reached for the phone and quickly gave both results to Annie's attending physician. She then headed up the stairs to her friend's C.C.U. to reveal the surprising findings.

When Ellie entered John's room, she recognized Agent Shelton and the other agent standing guard in the two corners of the room. Shelton nodded curtly at her, and then seemed to blend back into the shadows again. John was asleep on his bed, fitfully, his eyes moving frantically behind his lids, and his entire body was hit with several spells of jerking. Ellie knew enough of John's background not to touch him, in this state, so she began to call his name, softly at first, and then successively louder still until his eyes shot open. Even before she could step back, he had his Sig Sauer cocked and aimed at her head.

"John," Ellie spoke quietly, her hands going up in a surrender pose. She glanced at the two other men in the room, and they, too, were locked and loaded, red aiming spots on her chest and head.

Casey immediately lowered his pistol, and took a deep breath to calm himself, and then nodded at the two who were protecting him.

"Stand down, men." he grunted and slipped his pistol under his pillow, reached for Ellie's hand and held it softly. "What's the news on Annie?" He stared up at the concerned face of his neighbor, and tried to read her for the news.

"John, her right kidney is damaged so much that the surgeon will need to remove it. Her left kidney is very strong, and will carry her for most of her life under ordinary circumstances. Her blood levels will stabilize after the removal and the knife wound itself will heal eventually. I know Annie put you down as her next of kin, so I can share freely with you. But..." Ellie grabbed a chair and plopped close to her neighbor's bed. She seemed preoccupied with her polished nails, and John bent his head to try and look her in the eye.

"Under ordinary circumstances...?" The Colonel prodded, knowing Ellie had to tell him something important.

"John, we were going to scan Annie's left kidney to analyze it's health, and we saw..."

"Our baby." John's tone was reverent and quiet, as he sighed deeply, closed his eyes and laid back his head.

"You knew?" Ellie was astonished. "You knew about the baby? The kicking, squiggly little Casey still alive in her womb? John, you should have told me before we scanned."

"Ellie, this is good." John's face softened and he smiled widely at the doctor. He slowly gulped, and tried to moisten his lips. Ellie grabbed the ice chips and water and helped him maneuver the straw to take a sip. She knew he needed the time to formulate what he was going to say, so she didn't pressed him.

"Ellie, you and Devon know that Annie and I have been together for over a year now." Ellie nodded, and helped John adjust the bed so he could speak with her in a more comfortable position.

"What you and the others do not know is that my beloved Annie is my precious wife." At that statement, Ellie let out a tiny squeal of joy, and then spied his Marine ring placed on the wedding finger of his left hand.

"Oh, John, your ring. I noticed it had shifted from your right hand to left, but I never knew why."

John nodded slightly and continued his story. "General Beckman, my boss?" Ellie nodded again, trying to keep her excitement to a minimal level so he would continue. "She married Annie and me secretly, and we agreed that we would keep it under wraps so that no one could use Annie against me. However, someone has, dear Ellie. Chuck explained about the dart used to cause my heart attack to you?" Again Ellie nodded, and she watched a dark cloud cover John's face and his jaw set rigidly. Once again Ellie was reminded how very lethal this man could be at those who would attack his loves.

"The man behind the dart is an old enemy out to settle the score, and from what Annie's secretary told us, he is the same man behind Annie's attack. So no one, absolutely no one is to know that Annie is my wife, Ellie." After this speech, John grimaced slightly at some vague discomfort, and then he groaned louder, and began to clutch his chest frantically.

Ellie immediately read the heart distress, and pressed for a nurse to come.

"John, easy does it." She lowered the bed, and placed the oxygen canula back in his nose, and then checked the I.v. Flow, and listened to his heart. Sweat was on his forehead, and he was desperately trying to get air, at the same time clenching his teeth in pain.

Agent Shelton and his fellow agent were standing now alert near the bed, ready to spring into action when needed.

"Agent Shelton," Ellie commanded, "find my husband now and tell him your brother needs him stat!"

Casey growled his pain and chocked out, "How do you know my brother?" Then his face went pure white. "Dear God, Ellie, it's happening again." Casey fisted his hands and pressed them to his chest. At that moment, Devon flew into the room and between the 2 Woodcombs, they stabilized Casey and the pressure in his chest subsided.

"Please, Ellie" Casey gasped, as he reached for her hand. "Stay with Annie. My babies are in the right hands with you." Casey's lids fell shut again, and once more the N.S.A. Agent fell into darkness.

"Babies?" Devon's eyebrows shot up as he looked at his wife. She smiled lovingly at him, but bustled toward the door. She patted Agent Shelton on his chest lightly, and whispered, "Casey's secret is safe with me, brother." As she left the room, she could have sworn he grunted John Casey grunt #32: slightly amused, but definitely cautious!

His handsome, square jawed face swirled in and out of her vision, and he whispered to someone out of her eyesight, "my babies are in the right hands with you." Pastor Annie moaned and tried to open to see who the Colonel was talking to. But only Dr. Ellie Woodcomb's smiling face came into her vision range and offered a spoon of ice chips which Annie eagerly took.

"Easy, Pastor Annie, easy. You are such a fighter, dear woman." Ellie checked Annie's vitals and typed them into the computer. She then rang for the charge nurse and they gently turned Annie to her left side to check the wound. As Annie's body shifted, the room spun and she began to gag. Ellie grabbed a plastic basin just in time as Annie vomited violently. "Jeannie, let's get some anti-nausea med. in her line now, so we can get the stomach quieted down." The nurse obediently injected the meds in the pick line, and Annie's retching quieted down.

The parson's tear streaked face grimaced at the foul taste in her mouth and she sobbed quietly. Ellie bent down and encircled this brave woman into Ellie's arms, and rocked her gently.

"Ssh, Annie. You are going to be alright. We had to take the right kidney out, the knife had down too much damage, but your left kidney is strong and healthy so you will be fine."

Annie sniffed and Ellie passed her some Kleenex. Ellie pulled the chair up to Annie's side and stared gently right into Annie's eyes.

"Honey, when we scanned you for the kidney..."

"You saw our baby." Annie ducked her head, a little embarrassed, and then reached out for Ellie's hand.

"Your baby is fine, Annie. At the little Casey grows, we will monitor your blood and sugar levels and we may have to put you on insulin to help keep the level normal. But you have a wonderful, little, lively one. I'm so happy for you and John."

Annie looked a little defensively at Ellie but then relaxed when she saw Ellie's head nod.

"John told you, didn't he?" Annie laid back her head on the pillow, just as John had, and relaxed into the pain medication.

"Oh, Ellie. I love John so much. After the death of my first husband from cancer, I believed there would be never another man for me. But my Lord has such a different plan for me, and I literally met John in a ravine in Capital Forest. Poor man...never knew what hit him." Annie yawned widely.

Ellie laughed softly, wondering if Annie referred to herself or to what had happened to John. She leaned over and kissed Annie's forehead lightly. "Sleep well, Mrs. John Casey."

The doctor walked swiftly and confidently through the front door of the N.S.A. Hospital, his crisp, white doctor coat perfectly fitted over his body, and his hospital I.d. Card clipped to his pocket.

"Well, hello, Dr. Williams, how are you today." the receptionist flashed a big smile at the doctor as he scanned the current patient lists. He glanced up at her name tag and nodded politely.

"Nancy, I understand I've been assigned to Dr. Devon Woodcomb today. Do you know where I may find him?"

Nancy pecked at her keyboard for a moment, and then nodded as she pointed to the screen. "He's up on the eighth floor, cardiac rehab."

"Thank you, Nancy." The doctor nodded curtly again, and walked to the elevator. However, as he entered the elevator, he punched LL and as the doors closed, he pulled a round Ring phone out of his pocket and pushed one of the buttons. Once the elevator descended, the doors opened to reveal the Costa Gravas Ring agent, needle in hand.

"What floor, doctor?" the agent slammed the doctor up again the back of the elevator wall, the needle jammed against the jugular vein of the man's throat.

"Please", the doctor chocked out. "I did everything you wanted me to do. Dear God in heaven release my wife."

"What floor is Dr. Devon Woodcomb?" the assassin demanded again.

"Eighth floor, Cardiac rehab." the frightened doctor reported. The Ring agent grabbed the phone, dialed a number, and murmured, "release the doctor's wife." The doctor sagged in relief, but when he looked into the assassin's eyes, he saw only cold, deep hate.

"You have done well, doctor." The assassin plunged the needle into the man's neck, sunk the plunger, and bodily threw the dying man into the basement floor outside of the elevator. Swiftly, the agent stripped the white coat off the dead man, grabbed the I.D. Tag, slipped back in the elevator. By the time the elevator opened on the eighth floor, "Dr. Williams" was ready for his rounds with Dr. Devon Woodcomb and on the deadly hunt for Colonel John Casey.


	10. Chapter 10

The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 10 "Two for One Sale"

Recap: Colonel Casey has been wounded with a poisonous dart that caused him to have a heart attack. At the same time, his woman, Parson Annie Coburn, is fighting for her life after being stabbed by the same criminal. Time is running out on all concerned as new mysteries are revealed and the attacker gets too close.

"Dr, Williams" stepped out of the eighth floor elevator onto the Cardiac Rehab level. He walked confidently to the nurse's station, and leaned over the desk to the nearest nurse.

"May I help you," she asked, jumping back a little at his proximity.

"Why, yes, Margie" the man looked at her name tag and smiled, though it never reached his eyes.

"I'm Dr. Donald Williams, and I was sent over from West Hills General to shadow Dr. Devon Woodcomb for the day. I was told at the main desk to come to this floor. Do you know where I can find him?" Margie found his Australian accent charming, but a dark vibe was emanating from the doctor, so she quickly looked up the information and passed him a sticky note with the room number on it. As he grabbed the note, she noticed a unique emblem welded on a large gold band on his left hand, but she hurried over to the printer and away from the strange man.

He left without speaking and began to walk the halls to find the room. As he was turning the corner, he spied Colonel John Casey, upright, obviously armed by the bulge under Casey's jacket, and standing in the doorway of the room the nurse had directed him too.

"No, it can't be. I killed him" The Aussie assassin stepped back to hide quickly, As he did, he bumped into a woman in blue scrubs. "Sorry, " he mumbled and stared at the woman with the long dark hair, and sparkling green eyes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I should have watched where I was going." she smiled openly at him, and say his name tag. "Oh, Dr. Williams, I'm Dr. Ellie Woodcomb." At the sound of her last name, the man flinched, but recovered swiftly and began to move away from her. "Dr. Williams, is that right? May I help you in any way? She called out to him, but he was moving back down the hallway to the nurses station and he never replied.

"Some men." Ellie shook her head and looked up at Special Agent Chad Shelton at Colonel Casey's room. He nodded his acknowledgment, and as she neared him, she patted his arm. "How is he, Agent Shelton?" He grunted and moved out of her way to watch. The Colonel was awake, sitting up in bed, but beside him in the hospital bed, was his wife, curled up on his chest sleeping soundly. Casey looked up rather sheepishly, and whispered, "I'm sorry Ellie, she escaped, and came looking for me. Thanks to Chad, she has been sleeping in my arms for over 2 hours. "

Ellie smiled at the two, and then turned to wink at Shelton. "Humm, co-conspirators in a jail break, right? I would love to hear what other break outs you two were in on." As Ellie bent to check Annie's vitals both men said, "And we would have to shoot you then!"

Ellie laughed softly, realizing how much alike the two brothers were. She looked up and saw Sarah and Chuck standing beside Shelton and the Colonel beaconed them into the room, his finger shushing them.

Annie stirred and lifted her hand slowly up to smile at Sarah. She grabbed some ice water for Annie, and John helped the parson sip some water down. He shook his head when Chuck offered him some, but grimaced slightly when Annie rested on his chest scar.

"Pain pill, John?" Ellie looked at him and reached for the call bell. He shook his head again, but lowered his head to Annie and asked, "honey, you need some pain meds?"

Annie raised her head, looked around the room at this extended family of hers and smiled. "I'm all right with all of you here. Maybe, in a little bit, Ellie?"

"Sure hon, you let me know. John, I'll go let Devon know your vitals and see if there is anything else he needs to have from you." Ellie touched Annie's head and soothed her forehead before she skipped out of the room, punching Shelton's arm one more time.

"What was all that about, bro.?" Casey asked, but Shelton just continued to ignore his brother, and he seemed to scan the hallway for any suspicious people. It was then he caught another glimpse of the same doctor who he had seen earlier. Chad stepped further out in the hallway, but the doctor turned swiftly away, the man's shoes squeaking on the waxed hospital floors. Shelton noted the expensive leather of the shoes, so out of place on a doctor, and he tapped his ear bud, and spoke quietly, "Shelton, to Love, do you copy?" He waited for a moment, and when the other agent answered, Shelton quickly gave him a description of the doctor and sent him on surveillance duty over the doctor. He stepped back into the room, and stared at his brother. Colonel Casey tensed as he saw Shelton draw his Sig out of the holster and check the safety.

"Walker, Chuck, I need you to take Annie away now to 9th floor, room 923. Annie, can you get up?" Casey's body language had already alerted Annie to something wrong, and she began to move slowly away from him. Chuck lowered the bed, and Sarah grabbed the wheel chair. Between the two of them, Annie was moved fairly easily to the chair. However, as they turned her away from Casey, she reached out and grabbed his hand tightly.

"Vios con Dios, my love." Annie looked intently into the deep pools of her husband's blue eyes. He sat up in bed, and slowly stood up. He leaned over, placing a kiss on her lips, and then released her hand. "Vio con Dios, my beloved Annie." He then grabbed Chuck's arm, and commanded him, "Now Chuck, avoid the south doctor's elevator. Chad told me of a murder of a Doc. Williams down in the hospital basement this morning by lethal injection We can assume it is the Costa Gravas' assassin, and he's roaming the hallways of this hospital in William's place. We know he will make a stab at Annie first, and I don't care how you do it, don't let him near Annie. You understand?"

Chuck nodded vehemently. "I would give my life for her, Casey. You know that." Casey nodded, "now go you three! Chad, you and me have some planning to do." Casey motioned his brother into the room, and the last glance Chuck say of the two men. they were stripping clothes off.

Being seen by a should have been dead Casey was unnerving the assassin more than he would admit. His hands were shaking, and his plan to eliminate Casey's woman was fast becoming the furthest thing from his mind. He needed time to replan, rethink, so he left by the doctor's elevator and punched a floor number on the elevator without thinking. He found himself on the 9th floor, and after scurrying past a janitor, he popped in the first available empty room. He collapsed down in the nearest bed, breathing heavily. "God in heaven, what now?" he grumbled, and fumbled opened the leather pouch at his waistband. Within the pouch, two filled hypodermic needles rested. His plan will still work, two needles, two victims, two dead. He grinned at that thought, and then snapped the pouched shut and rose. He walked confidently to the door, his left hand, with the ring , grabbed onto it and pulled. "it's him, it's the ring!" A woman's voice sounded out in the hallway, and there were Sarah Walker, Chuck Bartowski and Casey's hated woman staring at him. He grabbed the wheelchair and pushed it out of his way, all the time reaching for one of the hypos. Annie glanced down and saw the leather shows, confirming who the man was. She grabbed his arm, screaming out to her friends, "It's him, it's him."

Chuck flashed swiftly and tried to karate chop the man's armed hand. Unfortunately, Annie tried to rise out of the chair to get away, and promptly deflected Chuck's blow, The chair tipped, spilling Annie out, and preventing Sarah from chasing the man. She vaulted over the wheelchair, and called out to Chuck, "I'll go after him. Stay with Annie, Chuck. Casey will kill you if you leave her now."

Chuck called out to the nurses at the station and several came to help him get Annie back into the chair. "Chuck, you got to get a hold of John!" Annie kept her head in it all, and knew Casey needed some advance warning.

Chuck swiftly dialed the number and as Ellie came to stand guard over Ellie, he began to go down the stairwell. "Casey, he struck. You were right. No, no, she's fine but he's coming after you. Sarah should be there, and I'm 30 seconds out now." His long legs jumped several steps and as he came out on the 8th floor, he raced swiftly down the hallway. He came to a quick stop, his tranq gun locked and loaded. Sarah, too, had her gun drawn, the red target sight flashing on Casey's chest.

The assassin had Casey, his hospital gown flapping in the wind, in a choke hold, and the hyperdermic needle was over the agent's jugular. "Step back, if you don't want me to plunge this into your precious Casey." The hatred in the man's voice was deep seated and he tightened his hold. Casey began to choke, his arms trying frantically to pull the arm away. Casey brought his arm down to try and punch into the man's abdomen, but the assassin was quicker and plunged the needle in partially. Casey gasped, and began to fall to the floor. It was just then that a shot was heard from behind the assassin, and the killer fell forward over the N.S.A.'s body, the bullet hole perfectly centered in back of the man's head.

The N.S.A. Agent pulled the needle out and slowly tried to get up. Gasping for breath, he eyed the man, barely standing in his suit clothes, wobbling slightly at the open door to Casey's room. "John, did you have to wait that long to shoot, man?"

"Chad, you are SO going to do several rounds of defensive tactical hand to hand with me in the next few weeks." John Casey grunted at his hospital gown garbed brother, and then laughed. "By the way, Chad, your butt's showing."

Epilogue

The rewedding was a small affair, conducted by General Buckman at the pastor's church up in the Pacific Northwest. Chuck, Morgan and Devon stood at Casey's side as he waited nervously for the entrance of his wife. After Ellie, Sarah, and Alex came down the aisle, the Wedding March began and Annie entered on the arm of Chad Shelton. Proudly, Casey's brother escorted her and solemnly reached out to shake the hand of Casey. In a display of rare affection, Casey hugged his younger sibling and whispered, "thanks brother, for saving my life." Chad clapped him on the back and growled affectionately back, "Again, bro, again. How many times has it been?" He then smiled and sat down at the front pew to watch the rest of the revows with the small audience. Because of heightened security, the wedding was not opened to the public but Casey and Annie were having a reception in their home for the wedding party and the church members. As the day wound down, Casey and his wife shared many laughs with their friends, and the last ones to leave were Ellie and Devon.

"John and Annie, we are so happy and proud for you two. We want you to know something." Ellie began as she passed a gift bag to Annie.

"Yeah, General Beckman has offered to hire us both on full time at the N.S.A. Hospital. I won't have to pretend stuff any more to Ellie." Devon interrupted and shook Casey's hand.

"When did you ever successfully pretend, idiot?" Casey laughed, and nodded his head. "You two will be very good for us all, and I'm glad she went and offered you the positions. We will be returning soon to Burbank, but I need some down time with my renewed wife."

The Woodcombs said their goodbyes and Casey turned to his wife, who now was showing the baby bump of their preborn infant. His eyes darkened at the sight of his beautiful woman, and he reached for her, inhaling the delicious smell of her peach scent.

"God in heaven, thank you. What have I ever done to deserve this?" Casey murmured prayerfully and kissed his wife's lips, gently propelling her toward the bedroom they never had used yet as a married couple. She began to laugh at his lips and turning, she sprinted forward into the room, taking the gift from Ellie with her. This time she didn't close the door, but called him in, watching him strip as the closer he got. Just then the package from Devon and Ellie tipped its contents out onto the bed's comforter. When John got sight of it, he began to actually snicker and then wholeheartedly laugh.

There on the bed were two items: a little blue binkie and a pink baby bonnet.

The End

Please review and vios con dios, friends.


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